The reason it’s a rhetorical question is that Forbes is asking so it can answer “yes.” Otherwise, why would any self-respecting, non-Texas web site ever ask that question. After all, Forbes hasn’t posted an item asking, “Is Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Running for President?” (Or have they?)

“One of the country’s most astute Republican observers tells me that he’s sure that Perry is running for president and will announce it after the end of the current legislative session. When I ask why, he claims Perry is doing all the things you would expect him to do if he were running. He has a point.”

Matthews gives the usual disclaimer (“Gov. Perry insists that he isn’t”) and then lists a number of reasons why he ought to jump into the contest.

“That said, if Perry does decide—or has decided—to get into the presidential race, he would have one heckuva record to run on.

The governor has repeatedly refused to raise taxes, demanding spending cuts instead to balance the state’s budget. Regulations and taxes remain low, making Texas one of if not the most business-friendly state in the country….More importantly, Texas far outpaces other states in job creation.”

Like every other Perry-for-President piece in the recent national media boomlet, the Forbes contribution is short on concrete evidence and long on longing. Its conclusion: “If Perry does run, American voters will have a real choice: A principled conservative who has kept his state fiscally sound, lightly regulated, a magnet for business and a place where Americans increasingly want to live. ”

“Ready or not, America, get ready for another Republican presidential candidate from Texas. Meet Ricky Perry. You’re likely to be hearing a lot about him real soon.

“Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels’ announcement this weekend that he will not be a candidate for president—coupled with Mike Huckabee’s decision not to run, and Newt Gingrich’s disastrous 2012 launch—is going to create a Texas tornado-size draft for Rick Perry.

“By spurning any interest in presidential politics and committing himself to legislative duty in his own backyard, Perry has, by design or by luck, put himself in the cat bird’s seat. Suddenly, the field has been cleared and Perry could have an open path running among social conservatives and Tea Party types, who find him very appealing.”

Unlike Forbes’ take, McKinnon sticks to the political atmospherics and doesn’t hazard a prediction on Perry’s intentions.